Tying the cards together: how to interpret tarot spreads (part 2)

Tying the cards together: how to interpret tarot spreads (part 2)

In the first post in this series, we talked about looking for common elements in the cards. Repeated numbers or images, a prevalence of one suit, that sort of thing.

If you use decks with people, animals, or some sort of character in each card, another option is to look at the characters in the cards next to each other… are they facing the same direction, or are they looking towards different things? What happens if they’re having a conversation, versus ignoring each other? It’s easier if you initially just look at two cards together, even if you’ve got a reading with a large number of cards. [This totally does not work with Marseilles-style decks or decks like The Wild Unknown.]

If you saw these people positioned this way at a party, what would their body language tell you?

Here’s an example, using the “how can I get past this drama” spread I created a few months ago. The drama in this situation was around instability in a workplace situation. Let’s break it down with the Housewives Tarot.

What’s causing the drama: The Four of Wands is by herself–she’s not really connected to anything. And she’s upside down, at the bottom, rather than the top of the foundation formed by the mops. So, there’s a lack of connection and some isolation going on here, as well as a sense of being buried.

What perpetuates the situation: The Lovers in the car are completely immersed in each other, unaware of anyone else around them. So you’ve got people who are oblivious to the situation and not offering any resolution.

What will help resolve it: Ace of Pentacles. No people here, but we’ll look at this card in relationship to the next two.

What obstacles are there? The Knight of Swords is actually facing/moving toward the resolution card–so he’s in a more favorable position that he would be if he were facing in the opposite direction. In this case, he may simply be a distraction from resolving the situation, rather than a major contributor to the drama.

Who can help me? Six of Cups. This card is also facing the resolution, so we’ve got an ally focused on resolution and an obstacle that’s not as serious as it could be.

What qualities should I use to get through this period? Justice and the Tower. All the characters in these cards are facing in the same direction. While Justice has her back to the Tower, she’s turned her head in a direction that suggests she’s aware that there’s someone behind her–she’s not hyper-focused on avoiding or moving away from the Tower. The Tower, on the other hand, is facing up at the Ace of Pentacles, our resolution card. There’s a strong indicator that this quality (the ability to tear down ineffective systems and rebuild from scratch) will be a key contributor to ending the drama.

Now let’s go back to the Lovers and Justice – These two cards are on a path to intersect at some point, but right now, the characters aren’t looking at each other. So we can deduce that at some point, the Lovers will wake up when confronted with logic and the realization that unfairness is contributing to the drama – it just may take a while for that to happen.

Have any questions? Leave me a comment below – would love to know how this method works for you.